Family of Indian gang rape victim call for youngest suspect to be hanged

The father of the victim, Badhri Singh (left) and her brother Gaurav, attend a press conference. Photograph: Mail Today/India Today Group/Getty Images

The family of the 23-year-old woman who died of injuries sustained whenraped by six men last year in Delhi has called for the youngest of the alleged attackers, a juvenile who can only be given a three-year sentence, to be hanged "whatever his age".

The attack on the physiotherapy intern returning with a friend from a cinema in south Delhi last December provoked outrage and grief in India, with protests across the country. It led to an unprecedented national discussion about sexual violence and calls for widespread changes in cultural attitudes, as well as policing and legal reform.

However, the debate is now focusing on India's punishment of under-18s. There have been fiery debates in the media about the issue, as well as protests outside the juvenile court in Delhi where the juvenile's trial was held.

A cover story in the local India Today magazine called the suspect "India's most hated", though, describing his poverty-stricken upbringing in the chaotic and lawless state of Uttar Pradesh, the magazine said he was "as tragic as he is terrifying".

Badri Singh, father of the victim, said the standard three-year term for the man, who is now 18 and will be sentenced next week, would be "totally unacceptable".

"It has to be the death penalty ... The fight will go on. Right up to the supreme court and internationally after that," Singh, 48, said.

The five adult men, aged between 19 and 28, who were charged with the rape and murder of the woman, face the death penalty. The alleged ringleader of the group, 35, hanged himself in prison while awaiting trial.

The six were accused of repeatedly raping the woman and violently assaulting her with an iron bar, causing massive internal injuries. She was then dumped with her friend, semi-conscious, in a layby and died 10 days later.

The 18-year-old, whose trial in a court for juveniles has now ended and who cannot be named under Indian law, has denied all charges against him.

Ranjana Kumari, a women's activist and director of the Centre for Social Research, a Delhi-based thinktank, said she and others had suggested the "nature of the crime" should be considered.

"It would not be right to lower the age limit for adulthood but when it is a very horrible crime as in this case then it could go to adult courts. We are absolutely very upset about this," Kumari said.

Earlier this month, the juvenile was found guilty of robbery. All those accused of raping the woman are also charged with robbing another man earlier in the evening of the incident.

The Indian supreme court is to decide this week on a new bid for a "fresh interpretation" of who can be considered juvenile.

There has also been also widespread criticism of the "fast-track court" set up to specifically to ensure rapid justice in the case, which is one of the most-high profile in India for many years.

The trial of the adult defendants started in January but no verdict has yet been reached. The accused deny all charges against them.

"The whole judicial process is now being questioned. It takes so long that when justice is delivered it has caused more pain for the victims," said Kumari.

Singh, the victim's father, said the idea of a fast-track court was a "farce".

"This case should've wound up within a month after it started … We've waited so long. We don't want it to be for nothing," he said.